Lack of Sleep Affects More Than Alertness

A research study from the University of Pennsylvania found a lack of sleep has a negative effect on maintaining a healthy weight. When you don’t get the recommended number of hours of sleep at night, you tend to eat more in the morning. Participants reported being hungrier and ate larger portions at breakfast and snacks the next day. They also had cravings for junk food that they gave in to. This is a result of the part of the brain used for complex decision making being impaired and the part that controls desire being enhanced. Participants also reported afternoon snacking was out of control when they got only 4 1/2 hours sleep compared to 8 1/2 hours. If you are trying to control your calorie intake, getting enough sleep at night may help.